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A lot. A 2013 Pew Research study found that nearly half of all moms polled said, “that their ideal situation would be to work part time.” This shouldn’t come as a surprise. When you add a 40-hour workweek to the demands of being a primary caregiver, the dual (triple? quadruple?) roles can leave you exhausted. And the reality is that for many parents, a 40-hour workweek just isn’t a legitimate option. Some years ago I worked with an amazing mom who, because of the excellence of her work, was offered an increase in her hours by our company. But when asked, she told us she couldn’t work 40 hours...

In 1999 I combined my 14 years of experience and training in organizational/leadership development, communications strategy, corporate coaching and personal branding and launched my first business—a career coaching and consulting firm dedicated to helping men and women integrate who they are with what they do. Career Strategists is still alive and well and our coaches are serving clients around the globe, but I stepped away from individual coaching years ago to focus my energy on my passion: work/life alignment and life balance. However, lately, I have so many close friends and family that...

I love the time before and around New Year’s Day. As a coach/speaker/author who has spent almost 30 years studying, writing and teaching in the area of human potential, this window of time–ripe with possibility and potential–always excites me. Yes, January 1 is just another day, but it also represents an invitation to step into new ways of seeing, being and relating to one another–and to ourselves. The Austin weather looks chilly, so my family will probably end up spending a cozy night cooking at home this New Year’s eve. Right now it’s a tossup whether we’ll watch a comedy chosen by my 12...

The second Friday before Christmas was like most of my days -- essentially -- but with some unique details. I was finishing up the update of my ebook, Lean On and Lead, Mothering and Work in the 21st Century Economy , so I was making edits and chasing after approvals from various interviewees in between my double and triple-checks for typos. I also had a call with one of the mothers in the book, Hawaii State Senator Jill Tokuda, who was juggling gingerbread-house making in her older son's classroom with preparing for her new post as Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. We talked...

For a lot of working people, this holiday season will be one of belt-tightening rather than shopping sprees. Let’s face it, our wages just aren’t keeping up the way they used to. Here’s a fact: Average income for the least rich 90% of us has been flat since the 1970s, although people are working more hours. Not a recipe for a holiday-buying bonanza. The answer isn’t to cut back even more, it’s to raise wages. One sure way to put more money in consumers’ pockets and place upward pressure on pay is by raising the minimum wage—a sorely needed move that is stymied in Congress, although 20 states...

This post, authored by Traci Donnelly, originally appeared on TalkPoverty.org . A minimum wage increase will not help families exit poverty by itself – we need other work supports that ease the economic strain on families. TalkPoverty.org is dedicated to demonstrating that we know how to dramatically reduce poverty; we just need to build the political will. Make sure to like TalkPoverty on Facebook and follow us on Twitter ! A few years ago, a young man named Israel and his wife enrolled their daughter in one of our Early Head Start programs. Israel, the son of Mexican immigrants, worked long...

“Are you listening to your life; what is it trying to tell you?” Renee Trudeau Most people are surprised to hear that I love making a big pot of minestrone soup for my family and friends as much as I love getting invited to go to India to speak to a women’s group on work/life balance. So after almost six weeks of speaking gigs and travel, I’m ready to be at home, anchor, reconnect with my family and get clear on my top priorities. One of the ways I do this after a busy time, is by taking a personal planning retreat. I take personal retreats-usually each quarter–to sit with the questions, “...

Ahh, the holidays. The next 60-or-so days until the end of the year will be jam-packed with busy schedules, school events, work deadlines, and...stress. For working moms who have in-office jobs, the holidays, combined with balancing their jobs, can be a difficult time of year. That stress is significantly lowered, though, when they have the ability to work from home, even occasionally.

My Mom chose college over a car and loved working for Eleanor Roosevelt in Washington after college. Though she was a very active stay-at-home mom after she married my Dad, my Mom always told me to have a career and a family, and I followed her advice. Another piece of advice from both my Mom and my Dad was to “do the best you can.” Blessed (and, in some ways, cursed) with a body that doesn’t require much sleep to keep going, I took that advice to mean I should work as many hours as I could. In my first high-tech management job, I clocked 110 hours one week, and 70, 80, 90 hours many other...